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LOVEoutLOUD

One of the programme team’s favorite studies deals with “happiness”. Researchers analyzed and processed datasets compiled from song lyrics, blogs and U.S. president’s State of the Union speeches. The three most important findings: “Love” is the most frequently used word in song lyrics – but the “content level of happiness” in songs has been steadily decreasing since the 1960s, while the level of happiness in blogs, for example between 2005 and 2009, saw a noticeable increase – this was in close correlation with the age of the bloggers.

That would suggest that things are still nicest here in the internet, something that seems very hard to believe given all that we’ve seen and read in the last years.

We’re taking a stand and raising the rainbow flag as an answer to the shrill sounds of nationalism, trolls and free-flying hate speech: Love Out Loud! [LOL] is the motto for the re:publica 2017 and we want you to join in, to hear your voices resonating from the stage like a Courtney Love scream. Everything taking place in this track is related to love, but we’re not getting too esoteric about it: whether it’s singing songs of praise, completely sober, scientific contemplations on relational bonds in the internet age, all the way to the dance of molecules, smell dating – or the continuous soundtrack in the courtyard provided by your very own “Love” playlists.

With "Love Out Loud!" we want to remind people what re:publica stands for. We want to focus on all the people, organizations and projects that have committed themselves to campaigning against hate, violence and injustice and who carry light into the darkest corners of society. They deserve our attention.

In 2017, we are primarily dedicating our stages to those people who are courageously standing up for humanity. That’s why "Love Out Loud!" should also be understood as an encouragement and invitation to raise your voice at the re:publica – and make it loud!

We hope that, with love in our motto, we’ll be able to successfully bundle all the positive energy and help create further networks during the three days.

By now, you’ll no doubt have noticed our Love Out Loud motto. We’d like to take the opportunity to present you the labore:tory sessions and activities taking place under this year’s motto. Stay tuned and get excited!

There are lots of things to explore at the #rp17: it goes without saying that besides the regular programme of discussions, talks, meetups and workshops, we have a variety of activities in store for you! The re:publica track is home to everything this year’s supporting programme has to offer.

14 tracks, 500 hours, 700 speakers – keeping an overview with this much on offer isn’t easy, but we’ll be taking you through it, bit by bit. In this second edition, the programme team presents you more from the #rp17.

Contributions #rp17

An attack on freedom of the press is an attack on democracy. In their re:publica keynote, journalists and activists told us about their struggle for the right to report – they addressed the crowd as representatives for those colleagues who are in prison or whose publishing companies have been closed.

In 2015, around 900,000 refugees reached the German borders. Since then, hundreds of new projects and initiatives have been created to provide those seeking refuge with new perspectives. The start-uppers Maxie Lutze, Henriette Schmidt and Ferdinand Dürr found some answers during their "Love Out Loud for Refugees" talk.

“Love out Loud!” - the slogan seems to fit Carolin Emcke perfectly. In 2016, her book "Gegen den Hass" (Against Hate) was awarded the German Book Trade´s Peace Prize and whilst she shares the re:publica call for love, it is however not without its limitations.